to generalize
/ˈdʒɛnɝəˌɫaɪz/
verb
to draw a general conclusion based on specific cases that can be irrelevant to other situations
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Examples

1Can you generalize even dimensional boards?
2can we generalize this model even further?
3In other words, your brain generalizes the experience.
4Now we can generalize the idea.
5An aware person generalizes.
given that
/ɡˈɪvən ðˈæt/
conjunction
used to express that one is considering a particular fact before sharing one's opinion or making a judgment

Examples

hair-splitting
/hˈɛɹsplˈɪɾɪŋ/
noun
‌the act of making petty distinctions or arguing about insignificant details and differences

Examples

hearing
/ˈhiɹɪŋ/
noun
an opportunity to express one's opinions or ideas
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Examples

1No evidence exists of an early device to enhance hearing, but it probably did exist.
2So they organized hearings.
3They hold hearings.
4The city council has hearings.
5Hearing is usually impaired.
high ground
/hˈaɪ ɡɹˈaʊnd/
noun
the most advantageous position in an argument or discussion that grants one moral or ethical superiority
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Examples

1The broader group of these little men generally live on high ground whether it be on the tops of cliffs, hills, or sand dunes.
2Does AMD have the high ground?
3They also had the high ground in the buildings of the village.
4Although the falls aren't very tall, the bears hold the high ground.
5Head to high ground.
in effect
/ɪn ɪfˈɛkt/
adverb
used to indicate that a rule or law is being operated
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Examples

1So in effect, the Sunflower Movement protesters blocked further economic integration with mainland China.
2A red-flag fire danger warning is in effect.
3A flood warning is in effect.
4After this, the barbarian generals, in effect, take charge.
5This stuff remains in effect.
in the first place
/ɪnðə fˈɜːstplˌeɪs/
phrase
used to talk about why something was or was not done from the beginning
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Examples

1The biggest problem is diagnosing the disorder in the first place.
2Just put quiet fans in the first place.
3Further justifying the questions around the contract in the first place.
4His name, in the first place, means "king of righteousness."
5The first one does a great value in the first place.
to invalidate
/ˌɪnˈvæɫɪˌdeɪt/
verb
to make or prove an idea, theory, argument, etc. unsound or erroneous
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Examples

1In my opinion, 100 degree low temperatures basically invalidate a pro machine for these kinds of professional workloads.
2So gaps don't invalidate candles.
3The Supreme Court invalidated those elections.
4Although that logic would kind of invalidate the whole restaurant idea.
5Essentially this child will automatically, just through their existence, invalidate that parent's identity.
invalidation
/ˌɪnˌvæɫəˈdeɪʃən/
noun
the act of making or proving a belief, idea, argument, etc. wrong
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Examples

1this invalidation of your actual values and subsequent true priorities is what caused you to get out of touch with your actual values to begin with.
2And if it is an unconscious parent, the parent then reacts defensively to this invalidation.
3The foundation of parallel perceptual realities is emotional invalidation.
4As hard as it may sound, do not take this as an invalidation of the pain.
5Invalidation ends up doing the exact thing we don't want.
to invoke
/ˌɪnˈvoʊk/
verb
to mention someone or something of prominence as a support or reason for an argument or action
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Examples

1The studied composition in Vermeer's paintings invokes a balanced harmony.
2Your ancestor may invoke any number of times per turn.
3And people invoke clouds.
4Both parties invoke "one nation under God."
5Beaches like the Rockaways invoke a memory of a bygone era of wooden boardwalks and rollercoasters.
keystone
/ˈkiˌstoʊn/
noun
the most significant part of an argument, belief, or plan on which everything else depends
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Examples

1The regulatory process under the Bush administration for base Keystone went very easily.
2Not having any keystone adjustment, definitely an oversight
3Cleveland's keystone, Daugherty, made his second straight appearance.
4The first trait is a keystone of sorts.
5The Nebula projector automatically corrects the vertical keystone.
to labor the point
/lˈeɪbɚ ðə pˈɔɪnt/
phrase
to describe or stress something excessively when it is already understood
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Examples

1You already know if it's a feature you want or not, so I'm not gonna labor the point too much other than to say that it's still a bit of a bummer.
to lay out
/lˈeɪ ˈaʊt/
verb
to describe something such as a plan or concept clearly and in detail
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Examples

1The contract also lays out the bond agent's terms for the defendant's release.
2The contract laid out the fee structure for the underlying portfolio funds.
3Lay out that puff pastry.
4So, strawberries laid out
5The first step is laying out the post positions.
to hold water
/hˈoʊld wˈɔːɾɚ/
phrase
(of an argument, theory, etc.) to be believable or supported by evidence
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Examples

1So it’s worth pointing out that, just as personal liberty arguments don’t hold water when thinking about fetuses, arguments for pain avoidance are useless when thinking about some cases of euthanasia.
2No they can hold water up in their gills, so they can stay out of water for a couple of hours.
3We need some insight from the police from that investigation to see if that theory holds water There really do have to be people out there that remember Ruth.
4His alibi didn't hold water and he admitted to forging two suicide notes.
5-A good way to know if an idea or a story that you've read about holds water, is that a majority of trusted sources agree on it.
pitch
/ˈpɪtʃ/
noun
speeches or arguments used to persuade someone to do something or to accept an idea
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Examples

1After five innings pitched: no earned runs, one hit, no walks, seven strikeouts.
2Pitched a great tent.
3So pitch goes down.
4In American English, pitch plays a significant role.
5Just pitched an idea.
to play one's ace
/plˈeɪ wˈʌnz ˈeɪs/
phrase
‌to use one's best resource and do something clever and unexpected that gives one an advantage over others

Examples

to plead
/ˈpɫid/
verb
to state something as an excuse
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Examples

1Wright's mother pleaded for calm.
2I plead the cause and rights of white freemen.
3Both boys pleaded guilty to their charges.
4Rawls also pleaded guilty to the same offense.
5Plead the shot.
point
/ˈpɔɪnt/
noun
the most important thing that is said or done which highlights the purpose of something
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Examples

1After a certain point, the added weight no longer yields additional range.
2You can get to this point if you try and push through your fears and inhibitions and force the social interactions.
3Yes, you guys get points.
4- Point your toes.
5Which one pointed first?
to point
/ˈpɔɪnt/
verb
to suggest that something is the case
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Examples

1After a certain point, the added weight no longer yields additional range.
2You can get to this point if you try and push through your fears and inhibitions and force the social interactions.
3Yes, you guys get points.
4- Point your toes.
5Which one pointed first?
polemic
/pəˈɫɛmɪk/
noun
a strong verbal or written statement of opinion, especially one that refutes or attacks a specific opinion
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Examples

1So his polemical methods would certainly be influenced by the most potent polemic that was ever launched in the German language.
2Now, we saw when we read Genesis 1, that there was something going on there, there's a polemic going on.
3At some point there was a desire to separate, and in that process of identity formation, a polemic began to develop that created Yahweh in a distinct way, differentiated from the Canaanite deities.
4It was a polemic against polytheism and the pagan worldview.
5Excuse my polemic.
polemics
/poʊˈɫɛmɪks/
noun
the art of arguing for or against someone or something, such as a particular idea or opinion

Examples

polemical
/pəˈɫɛməkəɫ/
adjective
of or relating to strong arguments meant to criticize or defend a particular opinion, person, idea, etc.
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Examples

1This is not a polemical book at all.
2So that view of Machiavelli's became, of course, an extremely polemical one.
3Things have become very polemical.
4In effect, Dante has a radically polemical view of the utopian spirit.
5Prof: Okay, now that passage is actually quite polemical the way it's written.
to posit
/ˈpɑzət/
verb
to suggest or accept something as true so that one can use that as the base for an argument
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Examples

1I posit an ecological circumstance.
2We're simply positing the existence of two distinct orientations, two divergent worldviews.
3And this tool posits four distinct types of discourses, four distinct types of pluralist discourses.
4And then another conspiracy theory people have posited centers around Kala herself.
5The third theory posits a military test.
premise
/ˈpɹɛmɪs/
noun
a theory or statement that acts as the foundation of an argument
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Examples

1You take your opponent, your target's premise.
2Flip the premise.
3Premise two-- all pogo sticks are single-track vehicles.
4Here's my premise.
5The premise was simple.
to press / hammer sth home
/pɹˈɛs hˈæmɚ ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ hˈoʊm/
phrase
to forcefully make a point in an argument or discussion to ensure that there are no misunderstandings
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Examples

1But there was a lot of discoveries of early fossil remains around that time that pressed it home.
presupposition
/ˌpɹisəpəˈzɪʃən/
noun
something that one perceives to be true, even though it remains to be proved, especially at the beginning of an argument
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Examples

1It's a background presupposition.
2See if you can spot the hidden presupposition here.
3The presupposition is that Jordan's followers are abusing people.
4God's just providence and a moral world order, are presuppositions that it just doesn't seem to question.
5Then finally, one of the last major presuppositions that relates to the historical consciousness I talked about: the idea that there's a gap between the world of the Bible and our world.
prong
/ˈpɹɔŋ/
noun
each separate part of an argument, plan, etc.
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Examples

1Pay for prongs!
2The prongs are essentially, two round, parallel prongs.
3And the prongs go into the cork.
4Unconscionability doctrine has two prongs under US contract law.
5This third prong is the ground.
proof
/ˈpɹuf/
noun
the act of testing the truth of something
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Examples

1Big bang cosmologists wanted proof though.
2Need proof?
3Want proof?
4Want proof?
5Need proof?
to prove
/ˈpɹuv/
verb
to show that something is true through the use of evidence or facts
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Examples

1A young man, a family curse, and an unholy experiment prove a dangerous combination for a small town in Arizona.
2Proves my point!
3Prove the case.
4Science normally proves no causal relation.
5This unusual TV screen proves that fact better than anything.
to put it to sb
/pˌʊt ɪt tə sˈʌmwʌn ðˈæt/
phrase
to introduce a plan or suggestion to a group of individuals so that they decide whether to accept it or not
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Examples

1But a lot of Americans want to put it to China and think that we run the show and all the rest, which is a very dangerous way of thinking, actually.
2Autonomous control technology has matured to a stage where we can put it to goos use.
3The greyhounds are REALLY putting it to THROCKMORTON.
4Well, let me put it to you this way.
5So I put it to you, that you told these builders, and the only way you knew is 'cause you're the murderer. -

Great!

You've reviewed all the words in this lesson!